2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning

by James Mirtle on Sep 27, 2009 7:00 AM CDT Comment 5 comments

More photos » by Ryan Remiorz - AP

Who's in: Todd Fedoruk, Kurtis Foster, David Hale, Victor Hedman, Drew Miller, Antero Niittymaki, Mattias Ohlund, Alex Tanguay, Stephane Veilleux, Matt Walker
Who's out: Evgeny Artyukhin, David Koci, Marek Malik, Josef Melichar, Cory Murphy, Matt Pettinger, Vinny Prospal, Radim Vrbata

Outlook: There's really no way around it: The Lightning's roster is in a bit of upheaval yet again this season.

Unlike last season, when the kooky brass acquired a boatload of forwards via free agency and didn't have room to play them all, this year's edition of the Bolts has too many NHL defencemen, as GM Brian Lawton added no fewer than five more bodies on the back end in the summer. Of the newcomers, Mattias Ohlund and 2009 second overall pick Victor Hedman are obviously welcome additions, but finding playing time for the rest of the gang could prove difficult.

Another solid addition is Antero Niittymaki in the backup role, and he could surprise by picking up quite a few starts should Mike Smith not be up to full speed.

Where there may be issues is up front, as there's a real drop off in depth after the top five forwards and injuries could expose that weakness. Bringing in Alex Tanguay on a bargain basement deal may be the only thing saving Tampa Bay from being one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, and his health and readiness will be a big factor in coach Rick Tocchet being able to ice two effective lines.

And you still look at this roster and wonder who will play the dirty minutes, at even strength and on the penalty kill.

I know this goes against the grain a little bit, but it's really not out of the question that the Lightning are picking in the top five for the third consecutive year come June. How ready Steve Stamkos and Victor Hedman are to be impact players will be the difference between another year as an also ran and joining the pack as a playoff contending bubble team.

X-factor: Victor Hedman

For a more in-depth Bolts preview, visit Raw Charge
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook

Poll

Where will the Bolts finish in the Eastern Conference this season?

1

8 votes

2

1 votes

3

0 votes

4

0 votes

5

1 votes

6

6 votes

7

17 votes

8

20 votes

9

20 votes

10

19 votes

11

14 votes

12

33 votes

13

29 votes

14

25 votes

15

16 votes

209 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I think they squeak in. 8th.

by red army line on Sep 27, 2009 8:21 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I think it’s more likely they’ll only squeak. When you keep in mind they’ve been the worst team in the league over the last two seasons, it’s hard to predict success unless they have a strong start. I wouldn’t put money on it. Tocchet needs to be stricter this year, not just make threats but carry them out as well.

by bearhunter on Sep 27, 2009 9:02 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

On paper they look good; it’s mind boggling how they can fail. Too much for me. I think 6th-14th in the East will be tight—maybe 10 points difference?—and I think Tampa’s in. Plus I have that home-division bias.

by red army line on Sep 27, 2009 9:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree that it looks good on paper, but there are many pitfalls here. 1) Losing culture. 2) Instability with another year of massive roster changes, and they still don’t have a settled lineup. 3) Led by a coach who hasn’t proven anything so far and, in my opinion, didn’t manage to lay a solid foundation last year.

In other words, they need to jell quickly as a team, they need to overturn the losing culture that has set in, and Tocchet has to show a lot more than he has shown to date. That is why they desperately need to start the season with wins.

On the other hand, which teams will definitely finish below Tampa? I can only find two or three. A team like Panthers has less pizzazz in its roster, but that team also has a solid foundation going back to last year. There are just too many things for my liking that could go wrong with the Bolts. I hope they have a strong start though because otherwise it might be another train wreck on top of the two preceding ones.

by bearhunter on Sep 28, 2009 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

When your X-Factor is a rookie d-man, I don’t like your chances. Even the teams that had surprisingly good teenage rookie d-men last year didn’t make the playoffs (except Philly with Sbisa, but that was for only half a season and they didn’t ask him to be a top 4).

This team needs Ricahrd/Hart worthy seasons from Lecavalier/St. Louis to compete for a playoff spot. That’s certainly possible, but that’s what we’re looking at IMO to see them back in the April/May dance.

Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.

by saskhab on Sep 27, 2009 3:29 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs